Just this morning we (Willem & I) have been watching short videos of people at work. Firstly, there is the film of a Japanese sword maker:
and a man who ‘rescues’ old tools to sell at a reasonable price to support his community and local craftspeople:
Then thanks to the fantastic ‘The Kid Should See This‘ we found video of Kokeshi Dolls being made:
and a store in Paris that sells piano parts
What links all of these is that it is showing people who take pride in and love what they are doing. What’s more, it is showing alternatives to the usual ‘professions’ out there. Willem often commented on how what we were watching looked hard, or dirty, but we both agreed that doing something hard but doing it well, and doing something that feels important or that you love, makes up for the difficulty and the mess. I think it is important as a parent to show children that there is a huge world out there, and not just in terms of ‘wow, there are so many great places to visit’. We have to show them that there are so many valid ways of living, and that being fulfilled can be about a lot more than money, or things, or a career that the majority of people think of as ‘successful’. When I was a child (and even a teenager) I remember more than once mentioning things I wanted to do when I grew up, only to be told by my father to be more realistic, and that I should aim for a ‘normal’ job. Well, that didn’t happen, but it did lead me to follow a lot of dead-ends and it has taken me a long time to get to a point where I feel I am starting to find out what it is I want to do in life. I don’t expect Willem to now grow up to be a sword maker (though it wouldn’t be that much of a surprise to many of us!), or own a tool shop, but hopefully he will grow up to realise that doing something well and enjoying it is more important that following a conventional ‘successful career’ or aiming to be a reality show contestant.
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